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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · stock · swing · wax · arm · tube

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. court — of a king
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wax — to grow
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. swing — music
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. court — of law
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tube — a container
  18. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com